Murder Being Once Done by Ruth Rendell

Yes, another crime novel. The second term at school is the term that I tend to read crime as they are light and don't add to work stress. Easy reading, in other words. There will be more too.

Wexford has been booked off. He is to not have any stress. So he heads off to London to visit his nephew (who is also a detective) with the intention of staying out of trouble. Haha. A woman is murdered and guess who gets curious?

This was my introduction to Ruth Rendell. I probably would not recommend starting here, as in this story, her detective, Wexford, is not 'at home' in his own precinct, so I think I might have missed a few things - like the comparisons of the cops in this book to those he usually works with. But, this is not meant to be a rocket science book, and I don't think I missed out on much. I just think I would have preferred reading Wexford in his own environment before seeing him out of it.

I really did enjoy this. I understand the crime genre too much to be surprised by where the plot goes, so even though I guessed everything that there was to guess in this book, I found it a satisfying intellectual trip. Rendell writes intelligently. Maybe there is room to make clues a bit more obscure, but then, not all readers cut there their teeth on crime fiction and can smell a clue from a mile away. Or am I being overly generous to my own talents with reading crime fiction? Would most readers pick up the clues? I don't know. I am not in the position to say.

There was one thing that irked me a bit about Wexford, and that was that I (and I hate to say this) think some of his feelings were a bit feminine. He picked up snobbery from his nephew, because his nephew, who was also a detective did not discuss work with him. I know I would think something like that, but I have been led to believe that men do not think in such ways. Maybe my sources could do with some modernising and realism, or perhaps they don't. I am not a man - I don't know.

Overall, a good old-fashioned mystery, based on the social dynamic and not the science one. I would recommend this for fans of older crime fiction, where it is what people say that you need to listen out for. I gave this a generous 4 stars on Goodreads, although, nearly a month later, I think maybe a 3 or 3,5 would be more accurate.